UT Dallas to Offer Online ‘Chess
and Education’ Courses;
Distance-Learning Classes are First of Their Kind in the US

Unique Curricula Targeted at Teachers

RICHARDSON, Texas (June 27, 2001) - As part of an ongoing commitment
to foster chess programs that promote academic excellence, The
University of Texas at Dallas, which recently was named Chess College of
the Year and is home to the top-ranked collegiate chess team in the
United States, will offer first-of-a-kind online Chess and Education
courses for teachers beginning Fall 2001. No other university in the
country offers this type of program.

The courses are targeted toward K-12 educators seeking new
methodology for incorporating chess into their classroom curricula and
will be offered exclusively via the UT TeleCampus, the distance-learning
arm of The University of Texas System. Chess and Education will consist
of two for-credit courses for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The three-hour courses lead to a certificate in Chess and Education
and only are available through the Internet. No previous knowledge of
chess is required to enroll in the classes.

“By offering Chess and Education courses, we hope to make it easier
for teachers to use chess in their classroom,” said Dr. Tim Redman,
professor of literary studies in UTD’s School of Arts and Humanities
and an instructor for Chess and Education. “In fact, studies in K-12
classrooms have shown a correlation between chess instruction and an
increase in reading and other cognitive skills.”

“The UT TeleCampus actively seeks creative online programs, which
we believe we found in UTD’s Chess and Education courses,” said Dr.
Darcy Hardy, UT TeleCampus director and assistant vice chancellor. “UTD’s
commitment to competitive excellence in chess will provide teachers with
the curricula they need to help students reach for their intellectual
best.”

The online Chess and Education courses to be offered are as follows:

Chess I: Using Chess in Elementary Schools (undergraduate):This
course will offer practical methods for using chess to teach critical
thinking, mathematics and reading skills in the elementary school
classroom. The course is appropriate for chess instructors who wish to
incorporate additional academic and humanistic goals into their
programs. No previous knowledge of chess is required. Instructor: Dr.
Alexey Root.

Chess I: Chess in the Elementary School Curriculum (graduate):
This course will offer theoretical methods for using chess to teach
critical thinking, math and reading skills in the elementary classroom.
The course is based on the McNeil model, which categorizes curriculum
instruction into four categories: academic, humanistic, social
reconstruction and technological. Chess I: Chess in the Elementary
School Curriculum is appropriate for chess instructors who wish to
incorporate additional academic and humanistic goals into their
programs. No previous knowledge of chess is required.Instructor:
Dr. Alexey Root.

Chess II: Using Institutional & Cultural Contexts of Chess
(undergraduate): This course will provide practical consideration of the
cultural role of chess as a combination of game, art, sport and science.
The course will explore resources for teachers from local and national
chess organizations, foundations and associations for introducing chess
into their classrooms. No previous knowledge of chess is required.
Instructor: Dr. Tim Redman.

Chess II: Institutional & Cultural Contexts of Chess
(graduate): This course will provide theoretical consideration of the
cultural role of chess as a combination of game, art, sport and science,
using the interdisciplinary methods of the arts and humanities. This
course also will explore practical resources for teachers from local and
national chess organizations, foundations and associations for
introducing chess into their classrooms. No previous knowledge of chess
is required. Instructor: Dr. Tim Redman.

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of
Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major
multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor ®,
enrolls approximately 6,500 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate students.
The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of
Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university
offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral
degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the
university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.

About UT TeleCampus

The UT TeleCampus is a central support Web site for online courses
and degree programs within The University of Texas System. It features a
Web site similar in design to a traditional campus, including admissions
links, digital libraries and learning resource links. It also houses
online “classrooms.” The UT TeleCampus does not grant degrees, but
supports universities within the University of Texas System that engage
in online and distance education. There are no residency requirements
with online courses taken via the UT TeleCampus. For more information
about the UT TeleCampus, please visit www.telecampus.utsystem.edu,
or call 1-888-TEXAS-16.